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Buffalo Sabres Hire Dan Bylsma As Head Coach

By Melissa Kania

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It’s official: the Buffalo Sabres have hired Dan Bylsma as the team’s new head coach.

After some speculation – and a Bylsma visit to Buffalo on Wednesday – the news was officially announced by the team on Thursday afternoon.

With the hiring, Bylsma becomes the 17th head coach in Buffalo Sabres history. In return, the Buffalo Sabres are giving up a third-round draft pick in 2016 to the Penguins as part of the NHL’s new compensation rule. Though he was fired by Pittsburgh, Bylsma remained under contract with Pittsburgh for two more seasons.

Bylsma most recently served as a head coach in 2014. He spent six years with the Pittsburgh Penguins between 2008 and 2014, winning a Stanley Cup with the team in his first season there. His tenure with the Penguins included six straight seasons of playoff appearances as well as a Jack Adams Award in 2011.

Bylsma led the Penguins to an overall regular-season record of 252-117-32, making him the winningest head coach in team history. He becomes the most experienced head coach to join the Sabres since Scotty Bowman came to Buffalo in 1979.

Bylsma has also coached at the international level with Team USA at both the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships.

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Prior to his Pittsburgh days, Bylsma served as both assistant and head coach of the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins between 2006 and 2009. He also served as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and the NHL’s New York Islanders.

Prior to his days as a coach, Bylsma was a player himself. He spent four years at Bowling Green State University between 1988 and 1992.

Throughout his career, Bylsma spent time playing in multiple leagues, including the NHL, AHL, ECHL and IHL.

His time in the AHL included a pair of games with the Rochester Americans in the 1992-1993 season, though he also played for the Moncton Hawks, Albany River Rats, Springfield Falcons, Lowell Lock Monsters and Cincinnati Mighty Ducks.

And yes – he joined the Mighty Ducks as an assistant coach immediately after his time playing there.

At the ECHL level, Bylsma played for the Greensboro Monarchs, while at the IHL level, he played with the Phoenix Roadrunners and Long Beach Ice Dogs.

Bylsma’s NHL playing career was spent with Los Angeles and Anaheim. His career included 445 NHL games.

Are you excited about the hiring of Dan Bylsma as the Buffalo Sabres’ next head coach? Disappointed? Looking forward to October yet?

Next: Revisiting the 2006 NHL Draft

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